Recipes for Health: Asparagus

Fresh asparagus is available in greenmarkets in the East and Midwest through the end of June. But here in California, the season began a few months ago - a great thing, as this is a vegetable I never tire of. There's a lot you can do with asparagus besides just eating it unadorned, steamed for five minutes or - if you've got nice, fat stalks - roasted. Delicate, thin stalks go wonderfully with eggs, either stirred into scrambled eggs or tossed with a vinaigrette and finely chopped hard-boiled eggs. I love to toss asparagus with pasta, and I often use it in soups. Children seem to like it, too. If the family table has seen too much broccoli, asparagus makes a fine alternative.

When cooking asparagus, you must first break off the tough stem ends by bending the stalk. Save and simmer the ends to make a delicious broth. (In traditional Indian and Chinese medicine, the ends are commended for their diuretic properties and used to "strengthen" the reproductive system.)

The tender, edible part of this lovely plant is an excellent source of vitamin K, folate, vitamin C and vitamin A, as well as a very good source of a number of other nutrients, including tryptophan, B vitamins, manganese, dietary fiber, phosphorus and potassium. All this comes in a very low-calorie package: there are about 40 calories in a cup of cooked asparagus.